High School baseball

Baseball is a game of numbers, but sometimes the most important number is simply how many plays a team makes.

Scranton scored its first run just two batters into the game and used a three-run sixth inning to stop a Hazleton Area rally and capture an 8-4 victory in District 2/4 Class AAAA quarterfinal action at Rex Antinozzi Field on Sunday.

The Knights (7-7) now have ended the Cougars' season four years running, thanks to their four straight district playoff wins over Hazleton, including the last two on the road.

"Scranton made us make plays and we didn't make them make plays. That was the difference," Hazleton Area head coach Gino Cara said. "That's baseball. The ones (plays) we made them make, they did."

Scranton started making plays offensively right from the beginning. Jake McCarthy walked and raced all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Cody Miller then bounced a sharp grounder off third baseman Mitchell O'Donnell that ricocheted to shortstop Sal Biasi, but a sliding McCarthy got to home just ahead of Biasi's throw to catcher Robbie John.

In the top of the second, Shamus Lunney hit a leadoff single, went to second on Aaron Pregmon's sacrifice bunt and reached third on a wild pitch. Two outs later, Zach Fiscus delivered a RBI single to plate Lunney and give Scranton a 2-0 lead.

Hazleton Area finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when leadoff batter Jonathan Sullivan blasted a solo home run to left-centerfield.

But just when the Cougars (10-11) got within striking distance, Scranton's offense had an answer in the top of the fourth.

Winning pitcher Colin Maldonato was hit by a pitch and Fiscus singled to put runners on first and second. After a Cougar error, Alex Judge ripped a two-run single to give Scranton a 4-1 advantage.

"We read the scouting report and knew we had to be patient at the plate," Knights coach Jamie Higgins said. "We stuck to our game plan. It's the best we hit the ball all year. We haven't hit the ball in situations to score. We were real patient today and weren't swinging in the dirt and we put good swings on the fastballs."

In the bottom of the inning, John singled and Sullivan cracked a double to plate pinch runner Jeremy Budgeon and keep Hazleton Area in the game.

But in the top of the fifth, Pregmon doubled with two outs and scored when the ball got away from the Cougars on Maldonato's single to give Scranton another three-run lead, 5-2.

Hazleton Area didn't quit, however, and rallied to cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the inning. David Klein walked and Joey Baran singled with one out. Sal Biasi smacked a RBI double to plate Klein and Baran scored on John's batted ball.

Scranton responded with more smart plays at the plate and on the basepaths to tack on three insurance runs in the top of the sixth.

McCarthy and Miller drew consecutive walks, and one out later, Sean Padden singled to bring in McCarthy. After Padden stole second, Lunney's two-run single gave the Knights their seventh and eighth runs.

"We were planning to bunt a lot, but our guys had hits with runners in scoring position so we didn't have to bunt," Higgins said.

Lunney and Maldonato both stroked two singles to lead Scranton's 10-hit effort. Pregmon doubled and McCarthy, Miller, Padden Maldonato and Judge all had one base hit.

"I'm not happy about losing,'' Cara said. "But Scranton is one of the classiest programs (around). If I have to lose to someone, I'd like it to be them.

"We have a great group of seniors. I thought we'd put it together. But Maldonato probably threw his best game of the year today. I thought with our Baran/Biasi combination, if we scored four runs, it would be good enough. But it wasn't today."

Sullivan smashed a home run, double and single for three of Hazleton Area's nine base hits. Baran had two singles, Biasi doubled, and David Klein, John and Panzarella all singled.

Baran pitched to one batter in the fifth inning, before he had to the game due to a blister on his pitching hand.

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